Ship of Hallows
by dem bones
Summary: Hermione Granger wakes up one morning feeling something akin to lust with this comes a dark secret that may impact the life of Harry Potter. Together can they uncover the secrets and betrayals hidden from them? Mainly HP/HG. On Temp Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Haunted Ship of Hallows

Author: dem bones

Pairings: HP/HG and others.

Summary: Hermione Granger wakes up one morning with lustful cravings with this comes a dark secret that may impact the life of Harry Potter, together can they uncover the secrets and betrayals hidden from them?

Warnings: Character Death, HET, Super! Dark! Syndrome and BASHING but not the type that everyone is used to ;D

A/N: Written for the 'Magical Elven Inheritance' Challenge by Mermaid-Cat Jedi Knight. For the sake of this story, I'm going to assume that Umbridge and Hermione have switched their canonical middle names.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

Chapter 1.

It was late when Hermione awoke in a cold sweat.

Her pink gown was slightly uncomfortable brushing against her legs.

Between her legs was a heat that was unbearable.

Unsure of the time, she got her wand from underneath her pillow. Delirious with pleasure Hermione wondered if she'd have time to resolve her little problem.

"Tempus!"

An hour had already passed in her potions class. It was the first time since she had the time turner that Hermione had ever slept through class.

Quickly resolving to stay in bed to deal with her problem, Hermione's mind was bombarded with thoughts of strong agile arms slick with sweat, rippling chest muscles, rough skin, bristled hair brushing against her lips as she kissed the man from her dreams.

She was desperate...for something. Whatever it was Hermione didn't know. All she knew was she didn't feel whole.

For about an hour of satiating her desires, Hermione got out of bed to get dressed before taking a walk outside.

In the courtyard, there was the luring smell of the sea breeze that compelled her to walk near the lake.

At the corner of the lake as Hermione walked along it's edge, a scaly hands reached out from beneath the water trying to pull her under.

Hermione yelped and tried to fight off the hands unsuccessfully. Seeing the scaly hands managing to pull her in, Hermione cried out.

"HELP!" Hermione screamed. "Somebody help me!"

Her screams were futile and she was pulled under.

She gasped as her lungs were filled with icy cold water. Her nose stung from inhaling in the water and her chest hurt desperate for air but suddenly where the scaly hands had been dragging her under was a stunningly comforting warmth.

It spread up both of her legs and she gasped at the sensation of it, opening her eyes and staring at the creature in awe.

The scaly creature looked the mermaids that she had often read about in fairy tales.

Briefly Hermione thought back to what she had read about magical creatures. The merpeople referred to in the book carried on more fishlike features and didn't look like the mermaids that she had often read about.

According to the books, such mermaids were only mentioned in fairy tales.

The mermaid that she saw below her though was quite beautiful. She had long green hair with brown eyes and what looked like dorsel fins on the side of her head and a lower body covered by beautiful green scales.

Gasping at this revelation, Hermione suddenly realised that she could breathe underwater and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of her lower body having turned into a pair of fins.

The colour of the scales that lined her lower body seemed to constantly change colour from purple to blue to red.

"Let go of me." She tried to say to the mermaid.

"You're one of us? How is that possible?" The mermaid asked completely baffled.

"Ease off the fins. That hurts." Hermione asked voice rebellious but whimpering slightly when the hands didn't move.

"I was looking for my prey but the human I manage to drag down is actually a mermaid." The mermaid uttered in disappointment and disgust. "I ought to kill you, but that's something I can't do right now unfortunately. Follow me I'll take you to the elder."

Upon releasing her fins, Hermione reluctantly followed her.

1001

Gradually upon swimming the two mermaids came across two merman guarding a gate to a city made of rotting wood and coral.

One of the men had green hair that grew every which way who sported a nice bushy beard while the other man had long red hair that reminded Hermione of fire.

What puzzled her the most thought was the fact that the two merman were holding long iron spears.

The spears looked alot like those that the merpeople had wielded at the second task of the Tri-wizard tournament.

"Echo, who do you bring with you this time?" The mermen asked with amusement.

"I didn't bring 'her' with me. I thought she was human and dragged her to me. Then her legs began to transform into fins." Echo explained.

The mermen began to chuckle.

"You know what the elder has to say in regards to our own kind." Echo said clearly disgusted with their amusement.

"You mean you kill humans?" Hermione inquired with a brow raised.

"How else do you expect us to survive?" Echo snarled.

"Now now, Echo. It was only a question. She's clearly unaware of her current predicament perhaps I should bring her to the elder and have him explain everything to her." One of the mermen said. Hermione seen it was the red haired one.

"What's your name?" The green haired merman asked.

"Hermione."

"That's Tiger..." He said pointing to the red haired merman before pointing to himself. "and I'm Green."

"Oh." She sighed before a warm smile was plastered upon her face. Quickly Hermione swam towards Tiger.

"She'd better keep her hands off my mate, Green." Echo snarled as the two swam away.

"Relax you're the only mermaid he loves, Echo." Green said.

As Hermione followed Tiger throw the gates, she could see that some of the buildings were covered with moss and were almost as tall as a skyscraper.

The two of them eventually entered a building that looked alot like the Ministry for Magic. Inside the building was filled with green moss but the stairs were of solid granite with seashells lining the corners. Further up the stairs, Hermione saw three mermen on both sides staying there like guards with trumpets.

She noticed though instead of trumpets it was a musical instrument Hermione had never seen before.

Tiger swam towards the merman who was sitting on the throne at the end of the six mermen. Hermione saw that he wielded a staff with a clear white stone embelished within it.

"Sir, Echo brought down this young mermaid from the human world." Tiger said.

"A mermaid in the human world? Impossible." The elder uttered stuttering with laughter before motioning Hermione to come closer. "Girl, what do I look like to you?"

"I beg your pardon sir, what do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"It's a simple question." He said.

"You look stunning, sir. Quite handsome if I do say so myself."

The elder seemed frustrated with her answer.

"He means his physical appearance." Tiger told Hermione.

"You're almost bald if not for that grey hair that sticks up at the back of your head. You're wrinkly and you have green eyes."

"Do I look fishy to you?" The elder asked with confusion.

"No, except the scales on your lower body and those fins." Hermione said.

"Impossible." The elder sighed in defeat staring at Tiger with horror.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"You have discovered the secret of our kind."

"Secret?"

"There is magic that's been cast over our waters to prevent people from seeing our true forms. Wizards can only see humanoid creatures with fish parts while the non-magical people of your kind can only see fish." The Elder explained. "Do you insist that you're human?"

"Yes, that other mermaid Echo can even say so."

"The only beings who could see through our magic are merpeople themselves." The Elder said. "So the only theory that makes sense is if your part mermaid."

"But my parents are both human." Hermione protested.

"That doesn't matter right now. For now you must continue to live as a human it isn't safe to live down here without the protection of our magic. Unfortunately it would take far too long to resolve this issue with the high sea council so I'll have to send you back to the surface." The elder said before his hands wrapped around the long wooden staff in his hands causing the white stone to glisten and shimmer. With it came the exhilaration she had felt earlier with Echo's hand encased around her ankle and her head slumped down unconscious.

1001

Lately Harry had been having that same frightening dream. One where Voldemort had returned to wreck havoc on the world. Just a minute ago he had been discussing this dream with Dumbledore and happened to run into Snape on the way back to the common room.

"Mr Potter what are you doing out after curfew?" Professor Snape asked maliciously.

"I was just talking with Professor Dumbledore." Harry replied.

"And how did you manage find the time to lurk outside your common room to do that?"

Harry flushed. "He asked me to drop by his office after dinner. I guess we got a little carried away with our conversation."

"It seems Dumbledore has bent the rules for his little golden boy once again. Just like your father, you are." The potions professor sneered.

"We weren't discussing the qualms on my fame like you might think." Harry outbursted in rage. "We were discussing my dreams of Voldemort."

Snape paled.

"DON'T UTTER HIS NAME"

"No offence sir, but you have no control over what I say or what I think."

Snape grit his teeth. "Detention Saturday, my office."

"What ab-?"

Carefully scrutinising the boy, there was no mistaking it. The boy was tired, eyes flickering with fear before turning dull with acceptance. Obviously the boy had accepted that the Dark Lord would return and that he might eventually die at his hands.

"Follow me." Snape said before dragging Harry down to the dungeons towards his office.

"Sir, what about the tournament tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. You'll serve your detention before the tournament begins, wouldn't want our famed champion to lose before he's even competed." Snape said quietly.

Harry could faintly hear him murmur the password to his office but couldn't make out what he had uttered.

Snape began to stride towards his chair behind the desk to sit down while Harry hovered in the doorway.

"Have a seat, Potter."

Harry reluctantly took the seat across Snape's desk.

"When did you begin having dreams about the Dark Lord?" Snape asked non-chalantly relaxing against his chair with arms folded across his chest.

"I don't remember." Harry said causing Snape to twitch his eyebrow with agitation.

"How real do the dreams seem to you?" Snape asked seriously.

"I don't want to talk about this."

Snape looked at him with impatience. "I assume then that the dreams seem real to you."

Harry's eyebrow rose in confusion.

Snape huffed and leaned across the desk in Harry's personal space. "I want an answer, Potter."

Harry felt his heart beat quickly at their close proximity, the way Snape excercised his authority unnerved him.

Intimidated by the cold black eyes of Severus Snape, Harry turned away.

"No, it's like I am Voldemort."

Snape paled further, his expression held no anger or fury in it's gaze but was comprised of fear. Harry was stunned by it.

Furthermore the black eyes gradually seemed to be lost to reality as if the potions professor was contemplating what Harry had revealed might mean.

The Potions Professor seemed to catch on to the reaction of his student and quickly seemed to regain his footing.

"I don't know how but it seems you've gained access to the Dark Lord's mind."

"How did I do that?" Harry asked completely stunned at the revelation.

"To have visions into the Dark Lord's mind, a wizard would have to be very good at legilimency, be a horcrux of some sort or have Dark! Elvin blood." Snape explained. "As I'm certain you haven't the skill to perform legilimency and are completely human, the only logical explanation is that you are a horcrux of some sort."

"Uh Sir, what's a horcrux?"

"It's a piece of dark magic when the spell is cast it transfers a part of your soul into another object however the only way for this particular piece of magic to be effective is to have killed someone without remorse." Snape said.

"Is there light magic that accomplishes the same thing?"

"Of course there is."

"Would that be a reason as to why muggles cannot kill wizards?"

"No, muggles can kill wizards but only the incompetent ones who don't know how to cast a spell to defend themselves."

"Oh."

"Potter it's late and past your curfew, I suggest you walk back to the common room to where you belong."

1001

The next time when Hermione awoke she was baffled at the sight of a moon in the sky. She must have been unconscious for a while but wondered why no one had spotted her yet.

Quickly Hermione headed towards Gryffindor Tower.

On the way there, she spotted a young looking man heading towards the Dungeons. Curiously she followed the man.

It appeared he was heading to the Potion Cupboard near Professor Snape's office.

Quietly Hermione drew near a corner, wondering what he was doing in there.

As he came back out, she noticed him taking out Professor Moody's personal flask to take a sip and gasped.

The man turned towards her.

"Miss Granger?" He inquired on her presence upon seeing her.

Hermione was startled in a state of shock. "What were you doing in there?"

"Inspecting the cupboard, several potions ingredients have gone missing and Snape wanted me to go look through 'em."

If that was all then what was that man doing with their professor's flask?

"Why do you have Professor Moody's flask, sir?" Hermione asked before she could stop herself. "What have you done with Professor Moody?"

The man looked at her in confusion before his eyes narrowed in calculation.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked.

"I haven't a clue, sir. I've never seen you around. Are you a professor?"

The man scoffed as if it were an absurd idea.

"I'm Barty Crouch, you twit." He said as he lunged towards her.

"Professor what are you doing?" Hermione asked as she dodged a hex he had sent her way.

"Nobody is to know. Least of all you, Hermione Granger." He said casting a hex that knocked her unconscious and dragged her out of sight but not before taking a sip of some polyjuice potion.

Unbeknownst to him, Harry had spotted him as he took a drink from Professor Moody's flask, transforming from Barty Crouch jr back to Alastor Moody before dragging her unconscious body across the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Quickly turning on his feet Harry feeling panicky, ran towards the Gryffindor Common Room running into Ron on the way there.

"Ron?"

Ron's eyes raked down Harry's before he realised who it was.

"Harry? Have you seen Hermione?"

"Ron, Hermione's... trouble."

Ron asked the same time that Harry had managed to gasp out an answer before Ron looked Harry up and down once more.

"Harry, what happened to you?"

"Professor Moody's...deatheater, kidnapped Hermione." Harry uttered gasping out the words with panic.

"Slow down. Now please explain what happened but slower." Ron whispered.

Harry explained about how the man who transformed in Alastor Moody had kidnapped Hermione. Ron stroked his chin absently as he continued on about the memories of the trial where he had seen Barty Crouch jr being sentenced to death in Azkaban.

"That sounds alot like the effects of the polyjuice potion." He said. "No doubt, You-know-who sent his lackey to make the job easier."

"Must've been very easy to do, if Professor Moody was attacked that one day that your father had to investigate his home." Harry said with a grim realisation.

"But how? He'd need to get all of the ingredients."

"Wait, that evening when I was coming back from the prefect's bathroom I seen Barty Crouch on the map. That whole time I thought it was his father maybe that was when he obtained the ingredients." Harry explained before huffing indignantly "Then Snape had the nerve to accuse me of stealing his potions ingredients."

"Wait a minute, Harry." Ron said. "Don't you need hair or nails from the person that you want to impersonate?"

"Yeah." Harry said.

"Crouch must have kept Moody nearby. Maybe in the classroom somewhere."

Harry nodded. "We have to be quick, he'll be back in the classroom any minute."

1001

Harry didn't know how they'd managed to evade Filch and Mrs. Norris as he and Ron had quietly walked to the classroom.

He opened the door allowing their entrance.

The Foeglass on the other side of the classroom was clouded with black and a snakelike man next to an old man with a grey beard that reached his waist.

Harry thought nothing of it as they looked around.

"What about here?" Ron asked pointing to the locked chest.

"How do we open it?"

"We could try alohomora."

Harry gave him a look as if he thought the idea was ridiculous.

"It doesn't hurt to try." Ron said shrugging non-chalantly.

"Alohomora." Harry and Ron pointed their wand at the trunk at the same time.

The trunk opened, Harry and Ron drew closer and saw the frail figure of Alastor Moody in the corner.

"Professor!" Harry called out to the man.

Moody looked up before he replied. "Get me out of here."

"How do we do that, Professor?" Ron asked.

"Cast Bailaranguis." Moody explained. "It's like drawing a picture of stairs."

Suddenly there was a crashing noise.

"Harry hurry, I think I hear Crouch coming back."

Harry drew some stairs in the air with his wand.

"Bailaranguis!" Harry chanted.

A thin white snake in the outline of stairs fell down to the depths below and began to fold into a decent pair of stairs for Moody to climb out.

"You boys get out of here. Minerva told me all about curfew. The two of you shouldn't be out so late." Moody said.

Harry complied with his directions and followed Ron out in the nick of time. As they exited the classroom and went down the hallway a little ways they had nearly ran into Crouch who was polyjuiced as Moody.

"Potter! Weasley! What are you two doing out of bed?"

Ron was silent.

"We just got through talking with Professor Dumbledore." Harry lied.

Crouch seemed to buy it.

"Quickly you two, off to bed."

The next morning at breakfast before his detention with Snape, Harry and Ron were talking amongst themselves. Yesterday evening they had finished talking with Professor McGonagall who didn't seem to believe their story.

Harry stared at Professor Moody.

"You know, it's really rude to stare."

He turned his attention towards Ron.

"Hermione's right you know, you're such a glutton."

Ron sulked. "You seem awfully disappointed that Professor McGonagall didn't believe us."

"She never does."

"Do you think he actually bought it?" Ron asked referring to their alibi to Barty Crouch jr.

"Not a chance."

"Are you going to tell Dumbledore?"

"Nope, it'd be too risky. Besides what's he going to do I still have to compete in the tournament." Harry explained. "Look Ron forget it. We got to warn the others that they can't compete."

"They won't believe me." Ron said.

"Just try, Ron. I'm sure you can think of something."

1001

Outside Snape's office, Harry knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Harry opened the door and entered the classroom.

Inside piled on the desks were piles of soiled cauldrons.

"You are to clean these cauldrons without magic." Snape said stonely, appearing from the shadows.

"Yes Sir." Harry replied coolly masking his fright. There was a thoughtful silence before the potions professor found himself irritated with the boy's silence.

"What is it, Potter? Obviously there is something on your mind."

"It's nothing, Sir." Harry said.

'An ounce of respect from Potter, something must be wrong.' Snape thought.

"Potter, what is it?" Snape raged his voice plummeted to a quieter whisper.

Harry was stubbornly silent and continued to clean the cauldrons. Snape quickly composed himself.

"What happened yesterday, after I told you to return to Gryffindor Tower?" He inquired with a deadly whisper.

"Nothing happened, Sir."

Snape performed a non-verbal legilimency on the boy. Unfortunately the boy seemed to unconsciously block him out. Always under pressure the boy seemed to have an easier time keeping his emotions in check.

"Can you read minds?" Harry asked eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Yes, it's an ability I harbor."

"Why do you try to read my mind?" Harry inquired curiously. "Don't think you're being skilled. I could sense you ever since first year when Professor Dumbledore hid the philosopher's stone on the third floor."

Snape smiled a malicious grin before he spoke.

"I often keep tabs on troublesome students." Snape explained. "Most don't seem to mind, though I have no idea about hiding any philosopher's stone in the room on the third floor. Is it something I should be worried about?"

Harry stared at Snape in confusion.

"Stealing potions ingredients, getting in trouble with your professors, just like your father you are." Snape said.

"Sir, I didn't steal those ingredients." Harry retorted with fury. "It was Professor Moody. I saw him transform, a man. I think he's a death eater, sir. I seen him kidnap Hermione."

Harry refrained from telling him that the deatheater was Barty Crouch jr.

"Liar!" Snape spat. "You're hiding something."

"But I saw it, sir. He took a swig from his flask."

"Then tell me Potter," Snape growled. "WHO-IS-IT?"

Clearly the professor thought he was lying, playing a prank on him. It didn't sound like a bad idea but surely the professor knew that now wouldn't be the best time for such tomfoolery.

Frustrated, Harry just sighed.

"You wouldn't believe me, so what's the point?"

"Get out." Snape snarled.

Harry all too eager to leave the company of the potions master, complied. So wrapped up in his frustration he didn't see Professor Moody attempting to snatch him from the darkness.

"Arghh." Harry struggled against the strong grip on his neck.

"Quiet." The raspy voice of Moody uttered but Harry knew it wasn't the real one.

"Let go. Let go of me." Harry growled.

"Your struggles are futile. Everyone is in their common room noone will hear you."

Professor Moody flicked his wand over the statue of Gregory the Smarmy which moved aside to allow them entrance.

1001

Professor Snape composing his thoughts, quickly cast a tempus charm to unveil the time. The fourth task of the Tri-wizard tournament would be starting soon. In a couple of minutes, Minister Fudge would be in Hogsmeade waiting for an escort to their school. Usually Snape was punctual which was one of the reasons why Dumbledore had asked him to escort the Minister to the tournament.

Fueled by the desire to get there on time, Snape quickly ran towards the one-eyed witch statue.

'What was it again?' Snape thought as he tried to remember what spell caused the statue to move aside. 'Was it Diffindo? No that's the spell that rips the binding off from books. Dissendium? That sounds right.'

"Dissendium!" Snape murmured after tapping the hump of the statue with his wand.

The statue quickly moved aside and Snape ran inside before making his way up the stairs above to the interior of Honeydukes.

As soon as Snape had walked out of the sweet shop he began to run towards the Three Broomsticks. So focused on being punctual to meet the Minister he ran straight into Ronald Weasley.

"Weasley..." Snape started to say until he saw Professor Moody alongside him. He gave him a non-chalant nod.

"Professor." Ron said desperately. "This is the real Moody. He was hidden inside the chest in the Defence room. Barty Crouch jr is polyjuiced as Professor Moody. You got to stop the tournament."

Snape's attention however was fixed on something else.

On the corner of his eye, Snape could see someone that looked alot like Alastor Moody dragging a boy that looked alot like Harry Potter.

Snape looked from the Moody in front of him back to the other Moody with Potter and suddenly it all made sense.

"Did you just say Barty Crouch jr?" Snape inquired with narrow eyes in Ron's direction.

"Yes, Sir."

Without thinking, Snape ran towards them. His feelings were sporatic, spontaneous. All he knew was he had to reach the boy before something went wrong.

Snape followed them into an alley before Harry bit into his arm causing Crouch to loosen his grip.

"Sirrrrrr." Harry called out towards Snape before Crouch trapped him in his rough embrace once more.

"Who would have thought that the spy was the traitor, Severus?" Crouch growled before he removed the lid of a garbage can to his right.

Snape moved towards Harry before Crouch held his wand towards his neck.

"Take one step towards the boy then he dies."

"The Dark Lord won't take too kindly to you killing the boy." Snape said coolly. Harry was amused at how composed he sounded in the face of danger.

"Filthy Angels." Crouch murmured chuckling before he uttered with amusement. "See you Snape if we meet in the afterlife."

The portkey caused them to vanish in the air.

"Too late. Always too late." Snape murmured punching his fist against the wall.


End file.
